Crying Killer
by instant anarchy
Summary: Campers fret about the psycho that Chris has set on them as a prank. Rated T because *SPOILERS* there WILL be blood.
1. Chapter 1

It was the middle of the night. It was quiet, dark, as a night should be. One light turned on, so small that from the outside it could not be seen, a light as small as the glow of a flashlight. Then, with the push of one button…

The bass started pumping out at full blast, with vague wah-wah style guitar playing lightly over that. A slow drum beat pulsed across the camp, and then the vocals entered: one low voice saying, suggestively, "Oh yeeeeeeeaaah."

Everyone woke up and started complaining. Zeke tried to turn down the stereo, find headphones for it, anything, but it was no use, for he had dropped his light in his panicked state.

"Gosh!" exclaimed Harold. "It's like, 2 in the morning! Why would you even listen to music that loud in the daytime?"

"Uhh… I dig the song, eh," Zeke sheepishly explained. "Sorry about that."

Zeke finally found his flashlight and powered down the stereo. After that, he couldn't get to sleep. But he tried.

"Did you hear that music last night? It woke me up."

"I listen to that stuff like all the time! Well, not all the time, not while I'm asleep for instance, but it was still cool."

"Whoever was playing that music is going to get it."

The comments continued. I suppose that is after all what you get for playing that kind of music full blast in the middle of the night.

"CAMPERS. Will you all stop complaining about what happened last night and listen to me?" Chris impatiently asked. (Yes, he too was awoken by the music but he doesn't care.)

"Some of you might not know this, but the reason I'm here with you people instead of where I usually am is because we've got big news, and BIG trouble."

Courtney's eyes lit up as she said, "Are you getting sued?"

"No," Chris flatly answered. "But… you might want to watch your backs really closely, given that there is a PSYCHO KILLER on the loose."

It was at about this time that Owen and Justin held each other and screamed. Zeke tried to hold Eva, but got punched in the nose.

"So yeah. Watch your backs, campers. That is all."

Chris exited the mess hall and left the campers to panic amongst themselves. Among the most fearful were DJ, Cody, Lindsay, Owen, Justin, Bridgette, and Trent. Among the least fearful were Gwen, Duncan, Noah, Izzy, Eva, and LeShawna.

"Uhh… Trent? What are you so afraid of?" Gwen asked, baffled by the actions of her boyfriend.

Trent gave Gwen a blank stare in return. "Gwen, this is a psycho killer we're talking about, and you're wondering why I AM afraid?"

"A psycho killer who's probably fictional."

"We're fictional!"

"Dude, Trent, you're freaking me out. You're scarier than the 'psycho killer.'"

"Okay, sorry, that was weird, but still!"

"Dude, relax. Chris just made this whole thing up to freak us out."

Trent seemed to calm down slightly at Gwen's words, as did Bridgette and Cody. The rest were still as panicked as ever. Indeed, it was getting so bad that DJ was starting to cry.

"Relax, DJ," Duncan said. "He's not going to get you."

"What if he gets someone else, though? Like you, or Bridgette, or Geoff…" At this point he started to cry even harder. The thought of any friend of his dying was too much to bear. He pulled Duncan and Geoff into a group hug. Duncan sighed, but Geoff was content to help DJ through this trying time.

…

Chris walked away, after hearing the contestants scream as though the light had been turned out. He chuckled as he walked to where Chef Hatchet was hanging out.

"Those campers are so easily manipulated. They believe anything I say."

Little did Chris know that this was no laughing matter. (Yes, it was no laughing matter even by Chris's standards.)

Because lurking at the furthest edge of the forest was a man that none of them knew. Not Chris, not Chef Hatchet, no contestant, no producer... no one.


	2. Chapter 2

Sharpening his blade against the rough bark of a tree, he watched the water. It was perfectly still. He so wanted to slice the calm water and watch it break, for how solid it looked. He even attempted. The water broke into ripples, floating away, as if to send a message to the other side of the island; but they faded in time, and he continued to seethe as he watched the moving water return to idleness.

One thing that bothered him about the water's reaction to his machete was that it never gave in. If the water were a person, it would stop moving before it had a chance to regain its composure. Another thing he would complain about was that it didn't bleed. The blue colour sickened him. He wished he could watch blood flow again. But this island was abandoned, or so he heard. The only way that he presently could whet his appetite would be to cut himself. Why would he do that?

He only hoped he could find people. He knew it was a hopeless case, but he was desperate.

…

Tyler bumped into Zeke as he walked by. For this, Zeke apologized. Zeke always apologized for other people bumping into him. He made a habit of it; it's how he was raised.

It had been one day since Chris announced the psycho killer's existence, and some campers were still uneasy. DJ was particularly restless; indeed, you could tell he got no sleep the night before. His eyes were determinedly trying to close, yet his mind was determined to keep them open; thus, his eyes were half-closed, and he looked unbearably tired.

Lindsay spent extra time putting on makeup that morning. This baffled Beth, and she asked, "Why are you doing that?"

"When the crazy psycho killer comes around, I want to look good so that he doesn't kill me, obviously!" Lindsay replied. Beth, after shooting a helpless look at a nearby camera, eventually decided that Lindsay may be on to something, and asked her to pass the mascara.

A small group of freaks, geeks, and (unbeknownst to them) Zeke were discussing how many ways Chris's announcement really didn't make sense; this, of course, was to calm down Owen, who was still very worried about the whole ordeal.

"I understand that this is probably just Chris being mean, but there's still a chance that there's someone out there! And if there is, we're all gonna DIE!" Owen cried, and then clung to Noah.

"Don't worry, Owen," said Izzy. "If it turns out that Chris is actually telling the truth, I'll just kill the killer before he kills anyone. Problem solved!"

Owen did not seem convinced. He continued to cling to Noah, but swept Izzy in as well.

"Owen?" Noah asked after this.

"Yeah, bud?"

"Could you loosen your grip? I can't breathe."

"Oh! Sorry!" Owen said, and immediately let go of Noah. This exchange caused Zeke to double over with rather loud laughter, prompting questioning looks from Noah, Owen, and Izzy.

"Oh, uh… Hey guys," Zeke said, awkwardly.

"What are you doing over here? The Killer Bass are that way," said Noah.

"Well, I thought Eva would be here, because she hangs out with you guys a lot…"

"She isn't. She's with the Killer Bass."

"Oh. Okay." An awkward silence ensued, and then Zeke left.

When he returned to his side of camp, he noticed a small crowd around DJ.

"What's going on, eh?" he asked.

"He fell asleep, so we're watching his back," Geoff replied.

"Then, why are you facing his front?"

Geoff merely sighed.

DJ slept peacefully all morning, dreaming of coming home to his mama. His dream took a turn for the worse when it was interrupted by a very large man who actually looked quite a bit like Chef Hatchet. Said man had a rifle, and shot Mama in the head. DJ began thrashing about in the real world, and completely unintentionally kicked Harold in the groin. Duncan's laughter after seeing this became crying in DJ's dream, and he saw his two best friends dangling in the air, crying for help, but the Chef Hatchet-type shot them as well.

Luckily for DJ, he wouldn't have to see any more of this, because Tyler was shaking him awake. DJ, upon awakening, saw Geoff and Duncan and hugged them tight.

"Guys, you gotta promise me you'll be careful!" DJ cried, with tears in his eyes.

"We promise," said Geoff.

"Yeah, yeah…" Duncan muttered as well.


	3. Chapter 3

"Those campers are so dumb!"

Chris and Chef Hatchet laughed and laughed at the folly of their gullible contestants. "They really seriously believed us! Look at DJ. He's dying out there!"

Chris wiped the tears from his eyes, sighed, and said, "They're going to have one hell of a time figuring this one out."

"How so? Also, what the hey are you talking about?"

"I'm going to tell them something else just to add to the craziness!" Chris started laughing again. "This is so perfect. The campers are such idiots!"

…

In his dream, he saw the woman he once loved. He saw her beautiful hair, lovely figure, bright eyes the colour of daylight… And he saw _him._ The man who took everything from him. The man who took her from him. The man… Chris McLean. That promiscuous bastard. He probably can't even remember her name. Every threat, every attack, every kill… all for Janine. He had loved Janine so, and when his heart was broken, so was his mind. Every time he wanted to destroy something, or especially someone, he imagined Chris.

And Chris was here, on this island. This will be so easy! He laughed at the thought. Chris always sought a challenge, but he had no right. He won't be one himself.

…

DJ was still restless. He feared for his life, Duncan's life, Bridgette's life, everyone's lives… but especially Geoff. He wasn't sure if he would be able to live without Geoff. He continued to cry to himself constantly. He'd never been this scared in his life.

An announcement came over the camp as DJ was crying, though. He quieted himself so he could hear.

"Attention campers! The PSYCHO KILLER that you've all heard so much about…"

"Is fake?" Gwen said, and was quickly shushed by multiple people.

"…has been sighted on the east side of the woods. Or was it the west side?... Or maybe it was the beach. Or the mess hall. But anyway, you might want to avoid those areas."

Zeke groaned. "We're not allowed in the mess hall? Oh, come on! How are we supposed to eat, eh?"

DJ perked up and said, "I'll cook for you! And protect you too! I'll never leave anyone unattended!"

"That's kind of a lot of people, isn't it? What if you lose track of one?" Harold asked.

DJ quickly became frightened again.

"So, uh… Justin. I guess we're kind of confined to our cabin, eh?" Owen said.

"Yes…" Justin replied.

"So we'll probably have to, uh, keep ourselves busy… or warm… or… something…" Owen trailed off.

Justin looked only mildly alarmed. Trent, on the other hand, after hearing this was thoroughly grossed out.

"It's so scary!" Katie squealed.

"I know!" Sadie chirped.

Then they both shrieked in unison, holding each other.

"Guys! If you really want to stay alive, you will BE QUIET!" Eva yelled at them, angry.

Afterwards, Courtney coughed, and said cough sounded strangely like the word "hypocrite".

Gwen was seriously considering leaving her cabin.

"What are you doing?" Lindsay asked, horrified.

"That killer. Is not. Real," Gwen said. "I'm ditching this place. There's no reason for me to stay in here the whole time."

"But, what if he IS real? Then where would you be?" Lindsay persevered.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm not going far. I'm just going to go to the boys' cabin. Maybe I'll even stay in there. Alright?"

Lindsay's eyes were so wide, it was clear: she was NOT all right. But Gwen just rolled her eyes, knowing that she wasn't in any real danger.

So she left the cabin. She made a beeline to the boys' cabin: even though there was clearly no danger of being killed, it was just eerie how silent it was out there. Everything was perfectly still. Walking as fast as she could, she made her way to the boys' cabin. Trent was there. They could keep themselves busy. Of course, she might have to deal with Cody, but with any luck, he'll be quiet…

She knocked on the door…

"Oh god, oh god oh god oh god oh god nobody answer that nobody let him in it's the killer," Trent whispered. Another knock came to the door, and he continued to quiet his teammates.

"Trent? Trent, it's me, Gwen. Open up," she said.

Trent, still cowering, was unable, so Cody did the honours. "Hey Gwen. Come on in."

"Thanks," Gwen said flatly, and immediately headed over to Trent.

"I'm really worried about Gwen," Lindsay said.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Heather asked. "Gwen doesn't matter. If it were one of us, I would understand. But Gwen? She's just getting what she deserves."

"You take that back!" LeShawna yelled, rolling up her sleeves and preparing to slug Heather.

"I merely speak the truth," Heather responded. "She's being so dumb."

LeShawna didn't listen to what Heather said. She was so mad that she wanted to throw Heather out there herself. But she restrained herself; she knew, deep down, that she didn't really want anyone to die.


	4. Chapter 4

"I think they've panicked enough, Chris."

Chris and Chef Hatchet were sitting on the beach under an umbrella, sipping drinks. Chris groaned at the suggestion that he would have to tell the truth.

"Do I have to tell them?" Chris whined.

"Well, think of it this way: imagine the looks on their faces when they find out you lied."

Chris did so. This did not help; he imagined looks of relief. He groaned again.

"They'll be mad at you, because you lied. They'll be groaning, like you are right now, because they fell for it. See?"

"I bet not. I bet they'll be really happy, and then where will I be?"

"That's a risk you have to be willing to take. Just remember, you've got my support."

Chef broadly grinned at Chris. Chris looked away, saying, "Okay, I'll tell them. Just stop doing that."

He put down his drink and headed over to where the campers were. He sighed before announcing, "It turns out it was a false alarm. There is no psycho at all… I lied."

A wave of relief spread over the campers, and then turned to anger and disapproval.

"I was supposed to protect Owen from the killer!" Izzy yelled.

"You made DJ cry!" Geoff fumed.

"Guys, relax. I know that I lied, but that's what this whole place is all about!"

The campers continued ranting, and Chris walked away, satisfied.

…

On the other edge of the forest, he slashed the wood of a tree, the ground by his feet, the lake beside his hideout. Nothing. The first person he saw, he would kill with no hesitation. It was unbearable how lonesome it was, and how utterly bloodless the area remained. He had a few cuts on his arm; most of them were accidental, but there were just some times he needed to see blood again. And after he cut himself, he would put his blade in the lake. The water was getting darker every time.

He tried perfecting his technique, tried passing the time, but after his dream, he realized he could not wait any longer for people to come to him. He had to take charge. He had to travel towards the group.

He wasn't sure exactly which direction people were, so he decided that he would mark his path by carving his initials into every tree to his left as he walked. He knew that something good could come of this.

…

Now that the killer was known to be a rumour, people started to relax. For instance, people now felt enough at ease to go in the woods… all except Trent.

"You guys…" he started. Gwen cut him off, knowing that he was about to go into one of his paranoid ravings.

"Trent, relax. Chris told you already it was a hoax."

"You didn't believe him when he told you it was true, so why must I believe him when he says it wasn't?"

"Because…" Gwen started, but she hesitated. "Listen, Trent, I just know. Trust me."

Trent held Gwen's hand. She stroked his hair. But even then, he didn't feel at ease.

On the other team, Katie and Sadie were making plans to have a picnic in the woods. They had been wanting to for a while, but the psychotic killer scare had delayed them. Luckily, they now felt safe, so they started packing their lunches and heading out to the woods. They were talking to each other about their every one of their experiences for the short time they were apart.

"So today, I was over at the Screaming Gophers, right?" Katie began, "And I was right outside the boys' cabin, and I totally saw Justin looking at me! And you know who else: Trent! So I was totally eating it up, because you know I totally like them, but then I notice that outside are Cody and Noah, right? And Cody is like, checking me out! Weird! And so Cody's checking me out, and he's staring at my butt, right, but guess what? Then Noah, he turns around, and he totally checks me out too! And I thought it was so weird, because you know, he's totally into Cody. So I was like, what? And I left. How about you?"

"You know, today, something crazy similar happened," Sadie said, getting into her own long story, "I was staying at the Killer Bass, and I see Tyler, and he's waving at me. And I put a smile on, and wave back, but then I notice Duncan is looking at me too! So he whistles and I start posing. But then DJ is looking at me too. And I thought that was weird, because he totally likes Geoff-"

"No, he likes Bridgette!"

"No way, he totally likes Geoff. So anyway, I'm looking at DJ, and he looks away from me! So I figure, I'd better leave him alone."

These stories were embellished slightly, (or rather, quite a bit) but they wouldn't tell each other that. One of their favourite pastimes was telling each other lies, but saying they were the events of the day.

They reached a nice, shady spot with enough room between the trees that they could sit and eat. They wouldn't talk with their mouths full, so the only things they would say were "Mm, this is good," and, "You're such a great cook," and so on.

He saw them eating their lunches. He saw their flesh from his position behind one tree. He heard their small conversation. And he knew then that he would kill one of them.

Which one…

Decisions…

The fat one would be easy, but then the skinny one would escape more easily. But killing the skinny one would be more of a challenge, and he could easily catch up to the fat one if she tried to run.

So, skinny will die.

He came from behind her. Sadie's eyes widened, but it wasn't enough of a signal. Katie looked on, oblivious. He raised his machete. Sadie screamed. Katie turned around and screamed as well. He slashed at Katie's shoulder, and watched as the blood painted her white stripes red. Sadie came over to Katie. Too easy! He raised his machete again, but Sadie was quick and was able to carry Katie out.

Katie was fading. She looked almost sleepy, or tired. Her blood was flowing out of her arm, and Sadie was getting wet.

"Sadie," Katie whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too," Sadie responded. Katie smiled, but it didn't last, as a mist seemed to envelop Katie's eyes from the inside.


End file.
